In Retrospect
by welshrose
Summary: EDITED. Before going off to university, Kat discovers Casper’s own school days. Rated T for mild language and sexuality.
1. Chapter 1

In Retrospect

Synopsis: Before going off to university, Kat discovers a scrapbook of Casper's own school days.

Kat Harvey was bored. The newly eighteen year-old sat on one of the red velvet armchairs in Whipstaff's parlour, drumming her fingers on the arm of the chair and staring off into no place in particular. Her father, the renowned parapsychologist Dr. James Harvey was off on business seeing a patient, and Kat suspected only God knew where the Trio were. Casper was busy cleaning the house, insisting that Kat relax, as she had been under a lot of stress from applying to various universities around the country. While musing on this, Kat was struck by an idea. "Casper?" she called, her voice echoing around the room. "Casper…" she tried again. Shrugging his lack of reply off, Kat decided to go and find out the information she sought for herself.

Kat trudged up to the attic. She decided to explore it--after all, there was so much she hadn't seen. Kat felt guilty in the back of her mind, as she was going through other people's possessions, but decided her boredom must be relieved as soon as possible. A steamer trunk decorated in various Maine hotel stickers in the corner caught Kat's eye. She grinned at the possibility of what she might find. This was going to be fun.

Kat walked over to the trunk and crouched down to examine the single clasp holding the lid shut. It was heavily rusted, no doubt the effects of both time and disuse, and luckily did not have a lock. She tugged on the metal clasp in vain. Gritting her teeth, Kat gave a final tug, and flew backwards as the trunk opened in a cloud of dust. After catching her breath from coughing, Kat settled down on the attic floor to go through the trunk.

She sat cross legged on the floor of the attic, flipping through pictures of Casper McFadden as a young boy. There he was, a toothy blue-eyed blonde, dressed in a velvet Little Lord Fontleroy suit that was so en vogue back in the early 20th century. The next picture showed him in front of a large stone structure which vaguely resembled an English manor house. The sign in front read "Saint Malachi's School for Boys, Guilford, Maine". Kat had never inquired about Casper's education--she always figured either he couldn't remember, or he didn't want to talk about it. Kat had originally wanted to explore the trunk she saw last week when she was up here last, searching for a new light bulb for her father's lamp, but with Casper by her side. She decided she wanted some answers. With Casper occupied, she would have to find them out for herself.

Once downstairs, Kat was disappointed--or was it relieved?--to see that Casper still wasn't around. She didn't want him knowing she had gone through the trunk. Kat went into her father's study, sat down in the comfy leather chair, and pressed the "On" button to start her father's ancient Macintosh computer. Cupping her chin in her hand, her eyes slid out of focus during the excruciatingly long wait. Finally, the start screen came on, and Kat eagerly clicked the internet connection button. It, too, was slow to load. Throwing up her hands in frustration, Kat let out an angry growl. After a few incredibly slow minutes, the computer was connected to the internet. Kat went to a popular search engine and typed in "Saint Malachi's School, Guilford, Maine"…and was thoroughly discouraged by the lack of results. She clicked on the first link, which was about the school's history. Kat learned that the school was established in 1850 by a Father Patrick McGee, an Irish immigrant and was now used as a boarding house. There was a link to the boarding house's website, now called simply called The Manor. After clicking on the link, Kat went to the contact information page, and scribbled the address on a piece of paper lying near the computer. It was time for a road trip.


	2. Chapter 2

In Retrospect

Chapter II

Kat's bright red 1998 Toyota Celica zoomed down a narrow, foggy road in rural Maine. Kat had been driving for the past six hours along this road, and there was no sign of civilization in sight. Kat thumped her fingers in time to the music booming from the stereo, and though she kept her eyes on the road, she couldn't help but think about what her father was doing at the moment. She had left a note on his study desk explaining where she was going, because even _she_ wasn't sure _why_ she wanted to go to Guilford. She simply had an urge to find out...something. She couldn't quite place her finger on it.

Finally, a diner came into view. Kat gratefully steered the car in the direction of the car park. Parking the car, Kat walked up the gravel road leading to the silver chrome 1950s building. The words "Al's Diner" were illuminated in red neon cursive lettering. Kat let her self in, only to find the place completely deserted, except for a short, stout greying old man behind the counter, cleaning the counter top. The man looked absolutely ancient, complete with a few missing teeth and thick gold-rimmed spectacles. The man smelled like dead fish, too, which permeated the diner.

Kat sat down at one of the stools surrounding the counter and looked around curiously. She saw several dark stains on the ceiling, and noticed that several of the stools around her had springs sticking out of their red vinyl coverings. Kat soon found herself having second thoughts about coming in. "Can I help ya?" came a gruff masculine voice. Startled, Kat looked around to see the old man leering at her. "I said, 'Can I help ya, _MISS_?'". Kat had trouble finding her voice, and when she recovered it she said, "Uh...just a decaf coffee, please,". "Uh-huh, sure. That's what they always want..." came the old man's reply. Kat sighed as quietly as she could so as not to attract the man's attention. As he was pouring the coffee, the old man spoke up. "Name's Al. Don't get a lot of young folk 'round here. I guess that's the price I pay for being out in the middle of nowhere." Al looked back at Kat, who nodded her vague understanding. Al passed the cup of coffee to Kat, and after inspecting it for a bit, took a sip. The room was silent for a few minutes, Kat just drinking her coffee and Al just wiping the counter. "Uh, I was wondering how far Guilford is from here?" Kat asked shyly, remembering that she couldn't seem to find the place on her father's ancient car atlas.

"Guilford?" asked Al. "Well, I'd say you're about two hours away. Just keep following the road that got you here." "Thanks," said Kat. "You know, my wife's from Guilford. 'Course, she passed away." Kat felt some compassion for the old man, and muttered her condolences. "Nah, it's OK. It happened a long time ago. Now it's just...just me." Kat got the impression that the man was incredibly lonely. "Well..." Kat started. "Thanks for the coffee. I really needed a pick-me-up." Kat tipped him about ten times more the $1.50 she owed for her cup of coffee, but knew that money rarely solved anyone's problems. "Goodbye, now." said Al as Kat departed. Al went back to cleaning the counter just as he had when Kat entered the diner.

Feeling a little depressed by the old man's sadness, Kat got in the car and drove off, remembering Al's directions.

Sure enough, two hours later, Kat came to a green sign that read in white phosphorescent letters, "Welcome to Guilford. Population: 1, 500." Kat flew by the sign and into town. It was a relatively small, mostly industrial town, with smokestacks belching puffs of smoke and there were several little shops, but that was about it. Kat drove around on the outskirts of town for a few minutes, before finding her destination. The Manor Bed and Breakfast loomed into view, it's impressive stone facade with turrets and parapets reminding Kat of how intimidated she was the first time she saw Whipstaff. Kat pulled into a parking spot and exited her car. "This should be interesting," thought Kat as she made her way to the imposing stone building. "I have a lot of work to do...".


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III

As Kat walked up the gravel pathway to The Manor Bed and Breakfast, the impact of Kat's vague idea of simply showing up to the B&B--with a reservation, of course--with the purpose of going through old files from the days when the building was a school hit her. What if she couldn't find any files on Casper? She wanted to know about his school days, but didn't exactly want to ask him personally for fear of bringing up painful memories.

Kat pulled open the heavy oak doors, and a fresh, floral scent was in the area she entered. She strode briskly up to the concierge desk and checked in. The man at the desk handed her a brass skeleton key and gave her directions to her room. "Just up the stairs and the third door on your left, miss," he said.

Kat dragged her suitcase up the stairs despite it having wheels. She arrived at her door, and entered. As soon as she had dumped the contents of her suitcase into the chest of drawers opposite the foot of her huge mahogany four poster bed, Kat threw herself on the bed and decided to elaborate on her plan. She needed to find a way to have a legitimate excuse for entering the room where the old files were kept. What if they were thrown away and her long trip had been in vain? She didn't even consider that option. "God, I am such an idiot!" she muttered to the ceiling. She noticed that there was dust clinging to the fan directly above her head. "Do they even bother to clean before someone checks...". Suddenly, Kat had an idea. She sprang off the bed and went into the corridor. She swivelled her head from left to right and back again. The coast was clear. It took her a few minutes to locate a supply closet, and luckily there was a spare maid uniform. Checking again lest she wanted to be seen, Kat swiped the maid uniform and ran back down the corridor to her room. Once safely inside, she changed into it, and set out to find the file room--if there was one.

Kat walked up to the concierge desk. The same man was there, so she decided she had to ask someone else. She turned back around and wandered the main corridor, until she found a young man in a valet uniform. "Excuse me, I'm new. I was asked to go to the file room. Do you know where that is?" The man regarded her for a moment and said, "Yeah, I think it's on the last floor. I don't know where, though." Before he could say any more, Kat was sprinting down the corridor towards the staircase. "Thanks!" she quickly called over her shoulder. The young man just shook his head and walked off down the corridor.

Kat arrived on the landing to the upper most level of the building and looked around. She saw an "Employees only beyond this point," sign and felt a twinge of guilt. There were about a dozen oak paneled doors, and only three were marked: a main office and a bathroom for each sex. Deciding to take her chances, Kat went to the main office and knocked on the door. No reply. She tried the knob, and the door silently glided open. Taking a hesitant step inside, she closed the door behind her as quietly as possible. She had no idea where to start looking. Two file cabinets were up against the wall to the left of a huge desk littered with papers and notes, and Kat seized the opportunity to look through them. To her dismay, the majority of the labels were marked with titles like "Taxes" and "Revenue". She decided to look at the papers on the desk. No clues. Taking care not to disturb anything, she went through each drawer, in turn finding nothing. Finally, at the bottom drawer she found what looked like yellowed, brittle file folders. She looked through them and decided they definitely weren't modern. Not wanting to take any more risks, Kat took the files and exited the room, trying to look calm while making her way back to her room.

After what seemed like an eternity, Kat finally reached her room. She hadn't encountered any one who looked like a manager, and no one gave her any suspicious looks. Kat stashed the files under her bed and decided what to do. She was going to change back into her travelling clothes, but decided as the sun was going to set soon, she would first return the maid uniform, take a shower, and change into her night clothes. She did just that after retuning the uniform. Wrapped in a dressing gown and her hair pulled back from her face, Kat took the files out from under the bed. Placing them on her lap, Kat carefully went through them. The papers inside were brittle and yellowing, and she knew she had found the right ones. She wondered how long this would take, as she didn't want to keep them for too long.

The files were in alphabetical order, from A to Z. Once she established this fact, Kat immediately went to "M". "McBride...McCracken...McDuff...McFadden!" she yelled excitedly and as a result she clapped a hand over her mouth. Kat gingerly pulled the paper out from between the McFann and McFarland papers. Kat read the sheet eargley:

McFadden, Casper Johannes

Date of Birth: 23 June 1893

Date of Death: 23 December 1905

Years enrolled: 1898-1905

Father: McFadden, Joseph Theodore (1868-1923)

Mother: McFadden (nee Gunderson), Elizabeth Anna (1876-1904)

There were also some good academic grades, although one teacher noted "goofing off" on one record. Kat sighed and thought of what life must have been like for Casper during this time.

About six hours away, Casper had arrived home, exhausted after looking for Kat. Dr. Harvey was sitting in the parlour watching television. When he looked up, Dr. Harvey noticed Casper. "Oh, have you been out?" he said. "Yeah, I--" began Casper. "If you're looking for Kat, she went to Guilford. Damned if I know why. That girl..." Dr. Harvey trailed off, perturbed by his teenager's antics. Before Dr. Harvey could say another word, Casper sped off into the night.


	4. Chapter 4

Guilford, Maine

August 2000

It was early dusk, and after exploring the town--not too much to it, but still more to see than in Friendship-- Kat Harvey was sitting up in her chintz covered bed, still reading over Casper's file. There were several incidents of his misbehaviour, including a teacher's numerous collisions with a stubborn inkwell that had exploded upon his opening it. Casper had later confessed to gluing the top around the edges so the stopper would hold fast. "So," Kat mused aloud. "The little glow-worm _does _have a mischievous side after all,".

She kept reading, sifting through yellowed and brittle papers. She came across a copy of his birth certificate. She saw he was born at home, and was 21 inches long at birth. She scanned the page until she came down to his birth weight. "Holy shit! He weighed nine pounds?" Kat thought. She then came to a copy of his death certificate. The official cause of death was pneumonia. Kat knew from history class that pneumonia was a common cause of death before the discovery of antibiotics. Suddenly feeling sad, she put the paper in the back of the file behind all the other papers.

Sighing a deep, prolonged sigh, Kat laid her head back against the soft down of her bed pillow. She suddenly felt very tired, and realized how little sleep she had gotten over the past 48 hours. She decided she would take a little nap. She began to drift off to sleep…

About two miles away, Casper was on his way to his old school, a place he hadn't been in at least a century. He had been flying for several hours in invisible mode, trying not to panic. Why would Kat come here? What did she need? What did she want? She could have just asked him! As he reached the building, a flood of memories came back to him. The classrooms, the bedroom that he had shared with three other kids his age, the teachers…he felt overwhelmed. He wanted to find Kat as soon as possible and bring her back with him…where she belonged.

Casper slipped into the building undetected, mostly thanks to his invisibility. There was only a young concierge at the front desk. Casper felt a bit disoriented upon seeing the inside of the building, but then remembered it was now a hotel. He had now idea where Kat could be--he had searched the town upon his arrival just in case and had turned up with nothing. There was only one thing left to do: he would need to search the rooms one by one. Now, for any human, this would be a daunting task. Luckily for Casper, he could literally go through walls in a matter of seconds. He decided to check from the top down, and reached the first floor eventually. He vaguely wondered what had become of his room. He racked his memory, and remembered it was on the second floor. Acting on a whim, he went to the seventh room on the floor and peeked inside. It was decorated in a floral pattern that made Casper cringe. Certainly a far cry from the masculine hunting lodge vibe the room had been decorated with a hundred years ago. Casper felt strange--he didn't feel…anything. Not a single sense of longing or sadness. Maybe because he had spent only a few years here, but he could still recall a few things, mostly people. He could see their faces in his mind's eye, but couldn't quite attach a name to the face. Taking one last look around, Casper dropped down to the first floor. He checked the first and second rooms, and was disturbed to find a raunchy young couple having sex in the second room. Casper was sure they would have been scared shitless--not to mention celibate--if he had made his presence known. Finally, he reached the third room. No light came from any cracks in the door, but Casper decided to look in anyway, feeling hopeful.

Suddenly, deep in her subconscious, Kat felt cold. Her brain woke her up. The room was pitch black and frigid. It was August…why in the hell was it so cold? Kat laid in bed a while longer with her eyes closed. Shivering, she wondered if she should find a spare blanket. She suddenly felt a cold hand against her cheek, and on impulse screamed--only to have the cold…something…clamp over her lips. Then, in the dark, a shape began to take form. It was short, a bit squat, with a bulbous head...not to mention transparent.

"Casper!" Kat shouted. She turned on the bedside lamp, and light instantly flooded the room.

"How did you…why…"she stammered.

"I should be asking you the same thing," replied Casper smoothly.

"I just thought…I wanted…to…" she trailed off.

"You know, you could have just asked. I wouldn't have minded," he said nonchalantly. Kat's mouth hung open stupidly.

"But I thought it would be too--" she said quietly.

"What, sensitive a subject?" he countered coldly. He looked a little…well, pissed off.

Kat nodded her head silently, and looked down at the rose coloured carpet. Casper sat down next to her. Casper's tone had softened, and he said, "I'm sorry. I just don't want you to leave." A pause. Kat looked up at him.

"I know you'll come home on breaks and stuff, but…" he trailed off.

"You know," Kat ventured. "I'm still here now,".

Casper smiled as Kat laid down on the bed, and he did the same.

"That's good," he teased. looking at her. She giggled. "Because I have a great story about a crotchety old man and a certain ink bottle…".


End file.
